Follower Motivation Paper

Effective leadership and employee motivation varies widely depending on the industry an organization operates within. Finding the most effective leadership style to motivate followers is dependent upon the type of level of power a leader has within the organization and with his followers. Additionally, a leader, employing any of the leadership styles, will only be successful if they understand what motivates their followers. A balance between power and motivation must be maintained in order to attain the goals of an organization.

Follower motivation, in the simplest terms, is the leader’s ability to satisfy the follower’s needs. There are many theories about follower motivation but they all fall under one of two categories: process and content.

Content theories focus on the specific needs that motivate people. Content theories include Abraham Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy, David C. McClelland’s Learned Needs Theory, and Frederick Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory.
Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy is based on the research that considers that a person’s behavior is based on their needs categorized into levels that need to be met in a specific order. The levels are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, need for respect and self-fulfillment (Liu, 2016). McClelland’s Learned Needs Theory determines that an individual’s needs are developed over the course of their life and are formed by a person’s experiences (Harell & Daim, 2010). Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory states that the work environment affects a worker’s perception which can affect, either positively or negatively, a leader’s ability to motivate them (Liu, 2016).
Process theories analyze how a person is motivated.

Process theories include Adam’s Equity Theory and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. The Equity Theory, developed by J. Stacy Adams, demonstrates how motivation is related to how people compare themselves to others. The theory states that a person will look at their own qualifications as well as their salary and benefits to see how they compare to others. They then judge if they are being treated fairly (Harell & Daim, 2010). Vroom’s Expectancy Theory is based on the belief that three factors drive how an employee thinks and motivates how they perform. “The theory contends that human behavior is a function of three related factors: (1) belief that effort will result in a desired performance level, (2) belief that performance will lead to rewards, and (3) the value of performing and accomplishing a task and the associated believed reward for that performance” (Harell & Daim,

2010).
In an article written for the International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, Fred C. Lunenburg writes that the five powers identified by French and Raven can be put into two categories. The expert power and the referent power are included in the personal power category. The organizational category includes legitimate power, reward power, and coercive power (2012).
I work on the business side of a faith-based organization in the social services industry.

While most of the employees come to the organization with the desire to help children and families, that desire does not keep them motivated for the long hours, on-call weekends, low industry pay and very little recognition by the people they serve. The content theory of motivation is the most appropriate for this industry. Employees often base their satisfaction on the salary or benefits they receive. An example of this is when one employee works additional hours to complete service plans and case notes before the deadline in order to receive an off-call weekend while another employee puts with a family to reunite them with their children for the simple pleasure of having helped that

family.
The organization empowers supervisors and managers to independently motivate their teams within set guidelines. The referent power type of motivation is expected to be exerted by every leader and is included in their job description. Many members of the leadership team also utilize expert power motivation coming from their years of training and experience while others utilize the expert power of the organization whose methods have been tested and proven over the last one hundred years. The direct supervisors generally employ both the reward power and the coercive power types of motivation. Since the authority to issue rewards to employees is limited, it is often necessary to use coercion to get the required results.
My current position requires that I assist my co-workers but does not give me supervisory authority. I’m the probable candidate for the management position that will come available when my supervisor retires in two years. In addition to the referent power type, I also intend to utilize the reward power type to motivate the people that I lead. Though the rewards can be limited, I understand that if used appropriately, they can be very encouraging to employees. Follower motivations and leadership power, when paired properly and kept in balance will result in the success in attaining the goals of an organization.